100 Bringing Color to Live with Natural Dyes

L-100
Bringing Color to Live with Natural Dyes
Dye can bring a little color to life. Most clothing is colored with dyes. Modern, manufactured dyes can be costly. Natural dyes from plant and animal products have been used since ancient times. So this week, we describe a natural way to dye wool.
The advice comes from information written by Jenny Dean of the Intermediate Technology Development Group in Britain. This anti-poverty group is now called Practical Action.
There are several methods to put dye onto material. The vat method, for example, can be used to dye wool with onionskins. For this example, use one hundred grams of natural wool. The wool must be clean. Leave it overnight in water and liquid soap. Then was it with clean water that is a little warm. Gently squeeze out the extra water.
A solution called a mordant is used in the dying process. A mordant helps fix the dye to the material. Traditionally, mordants were found in nature. Wood ash is one example. But chemical mordants such as alum are popular today.
Alum is sold in many stores. It is often mixed with cream of tartar, a fine powder commonly used in cooking.
Mix eight grams of alum with seven grams of cream of tartar in a small amount of hot water. Add the solution to a metal pan of cool water. Next, add the wool and place the mixture over heat. Slowly bring the liquid to eighty-two degrees Celsius. Heat the mixture for forty-five minutes. After it cools, remove the wool and wash it.
To prepare the dye solution, cover thirty grams of onionskins with water. Use only the dry, brown outer skins. Boil the liquid until the onionskins lose their color, about forty-five minutes. Remove the skins after the dye cools.
Now it is time to dye the wool. Place the wool into the dye and heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to eighty-two degrees. Now heat the dye for about forty-five minutes or until the wool is the desired color. Keep in mind that wet wool looks darker than it is.
Once the dye cools, remove the wool and wash it. Now the wool is orange or yellow. Or at least it should be.
(380 words)
用天然染料为生活增添色彩
染料可以为生活增添些许色彩。

大部分布料都使用染料染色。

现代的人造染料造价很高。

自古以来人们使用从动植物产品中提取的天然染料染色。

因此，本
周我们介绍一种给毛料染色的天然方法。

珍妮．迪恩在她所写的资料中向我们提供了这种方法，她来自于英国的“中间技术发展组织”这一组织以消除贫困为己任，目前被称为“实际行动组织”。

有几种方法可以将染料涂到材料之上。

例如，可以通过染缸用洋葱皮给毛料染色。

我们可以拿来100克天然毛料，毛料必须干净，要把它在肥皂水中泡一宿，然后用温水漂洗干净，轻轻地将残留的水挤出。

染色过程中需要使用到称作媒染剂的溶液。

媒染剂能够使染料附着在材料之上。

传统上，媒染剂是天然的，如木灰。

但是现在流行使用化学媒染剂，比如明矾。

许多商店都出售明矾。

明矾通常和酒石英。

（一种烹饪普遍使用的优良粉末）混合在一起。

将8克明矾和7克酒石英用少量热水搅拌在一起。

再把这种混合溶液倒入盛有凉水的金属平底锅里。

接下来，把毛料放入平底锅，给锅加热45分钟，直到混合液体温度慢慢达到82摄氏度。

等锅内液体冷却下来后，取出毛料，冲洗干净。

要准备染料溶液，须先用水浸泡30克洋葱皮，洋葱皮只能要那种干褐色的，把浸泡着洋葱皮的水加热45分钟，直至洋葱皮完全褪色，待溶液冷却后把洋葱皮取出，染料溶液就制成了。

现在该到给毛料染色的时候了。

把毛料放入染料溶液中，加热。

溶液沸腾后迅速使其降温至82摄氏度。

然后再次加热染料溶液约45分钟，直至毛料变色成为我们希望的颜色。

记住湿毛料看上去要比干毛料颜色深。

一旦染料冷却，就把毛料取出来，冲洗干净。

现在，毛料就变成橘黄色的了，不出意外，它应该变成这种颜色的。